Time-actuated electrical switch mechanism



IVI. F. ROEBLING.

TIIIIE ACTIIATED ELECTRICAL SWITCH IIEcIIANIsII/I.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 27,1919.

Patented Nov. 29, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

@tto-pneu IVI. F. ROEBLING. TIIvIE ACTUATED ELECTRICAL SWITCH MECHANISIVI.

APPLICATION FILED .TUNE 27,1919.

Patented Nov. 29, 192L 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

M. F. ROEBLING.

TIME ACTUATED ELECTRICAL SWITCH NIECHANISNI.`

Patented N ov. 29, v1921.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 27,19I9.

PATENT OFFICE.

MILLAIR'D F. ROEBLING, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

TIM-ACTUATED ELECTRICAL SWITCH MECHANISM.

Application led June 27,

To all whom 'it may concern: v

Be it known that I. MILLARD F. ROEBLING,

-a citizen of the United States, residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Time-Actuated Electrical Switch Mechanism, f which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements 1n on and olf time actuated electrical switch mechanism. One of its objects is to provide simple, inexpensive and reliable electrical switch mechanism adapted to be closed at any predetermined period of time and opened at any predetermined later period of time. Another object is to provide such switch mechanism adapted to be employed independently to either open or close the circuit at any predetermined period of time. Another object is to avoid liability of aro formation and injury to lthe mechanism from such cause, and without undue increase in the cost of t-he apparatus. Another object is to provide for autom-atically resetting the switch mechanism to render is entire cycle of-movement automatic and clock controlled. My invention also comprises certain details of form, combination, and arrangement, all of which will be fully set forth in the description of the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a mechanism embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan of the mechanism of Fig. 1 with the dial and`pointers detached..

Fig. 3 is a sectional detail of one of the time releasing members.

' Fig. 4 is a view similan to Fig. 2 illustrating a modification thereof.

Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are diagrams illustrating successive steps in the operation of closing and opening the electrical circuit.

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 4 illustrating mechanism in vwhich the circuit is closed by hand the clock is relied upon. to open the circuit automatically at a predetermined time period. l

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 8 illustrating mechanism in which the circuit is opened by hand, and the clock is relied upon to close the circuit automatically at a predetermined timeperiod.

" vThe accompanying drawings illustrate the preferred embodiment of my invention, inA

Specification of Letters Patent.

Atogether by means of a series Patented N ov. 29, 1921.

1919. Serial No. 307,201.

preferably of vulcanized fiber or other noncombustible electrical insulating material. Within the casing A is a frame B comprising two parallel plates of metal secured of spacing rods 14. A clock mechanism of usual construction, of which only the spindle 15 which carries the minute hand 16, and the sleeve 17 which carries the hour hand 18 are illustrated. A pinion 19 on the spindle 15 drives a gear 2O on a stud shaft 21, and a pinion on the stud shaft 21 engages and drives a gear 22 on the sleeve 17 to drive the hour hand at the desired ratio of speed relative to the minute hand. Setting spindles 24 and 25 are respectively journaled to the frame B so as to be rotatably adjustable relative thereto with an appreciable amount of frictional resistance, so that said spindles may be manually adjusted by means of the keys 26 detachably connected thereto at the rear of the Aframe B and projecting from the rear of the casing A, so that said spindles will remain in any position to which said spindles may be adjusted'by said keys. Cam engaging heads 28 and 29 are rigidly mounted upon the ,respective spindles 24 and 25. Pointers 30 and 31 are also detachably mounted upon said spindles to indicate upon the dials 32 and 33 the position of the tongues 34 of the respective heads 28 and 29 or the time at which the on or oli' movement of the electrical switch will occur.

Cam members 35 and 36 are looselyT mounted upon the spindles 24 and 25 and provided with annular ca m faces 37 at one end to engage the tongues 34 of the heads 28 and 29 respectively. Leaf springs 38 and 39 attached by screws to the frame B serve by resiliently engaging the opposite ends of the tubular cam members 35 and 36 to hold their cam faces 37 yieldingly in contact with the tongue 34. The cam members 35 and 36 are provided with gears 40 and 41 which mesh with the pinion 21 and serve to rotate the cams 35 and 36 upon the spindles 24 and 25 once in twelve hours as illustrated, or if desired, once in twenty four hours, depending upon the diameter of the gears 40 and 41 relative to their driving pinion.

When the notches of the cam faces 37 come opposite the tongues 34, the respective cam members 35 and 36 and their gears 40 or 41 move endwise on the spindles 24 and rigs. 1, 2,`and 3 of which A represents .ax-25, the free ends 42 of the springs 38 and 39 clock casing, which may be of metal, but is 'moving with said cam members away from the frame B. Subsequently the inclined faces of the cam members engage the tongues 34 and thereby restore the cam members 35 and 36 and the free ends 42 of the springs 38 and 39 to their original position.

Rotatably mounted in the frame B are rock shafts 43 and 44 which are respectively provided with rotatably mounted releasing arms or members 45 and 46 adapted to engage the free ends of the springs 38 and 39 when said springs are under maximum tension, and to be released therefrom when said springs 38 and 39 move outwardly from the frame B withl the cam members 35 and 36. A spring 47 is attached at opposite ends to arms 48projecting respectively from the rock shafts 43 and 44, and tends normally to hold said rock vshafts in predetermined positions. The rock shafts 43 .and 44 are also provided with switch arms 50 and 51. As illustrated in Fig. 2 in full lines the electrical circuit 52 is open at the contacts 50 and 53, and is closed at the contacts 51 and 54, and this would ordinarily be the initial position of the switch mechanism,I as

l forinstance where it was desired to turn on the lights 55 in a show window for an hour or so in the evening without making a separate trip .to the store for that purpose. Assuming that the spindle 24 is set so that its tongue 34 will enter the notch of its cam face at seven oclock in the evening, this will cause the spring 38 to move outwardly from the framey B thereby disengaging its free end from the releasing member 45 allowing the shaft 43 to rock, and the switch arm 50 to move from its full line position to its dotted line positionwhere the circuit 52 is closed through the contacts 50 and 53, and the show window is illuminated. Assuming that the spindle 25 is set so that its tongue 34 enters the notch of its cam face at eleven clock this will result in the cam 36 and spring 39 moving endwise on the spindle 25 thereby releasing the free end of spring 39 from the arm 46 causing the rock shaft 44 to rock, and the switch arm 51 to move from its full line'position to its dotted line position thereby breaking the electrical circuit at the contacts 51 and 54 with a sufficient air gap to insure that any arc initially formed will' be broken, thereby cutting ofil the light from the show window. The electrical circuit 52 may be employed for any other desired purpose. After the cam member 36 and spring 39 have been restored by the inclined cam face to their original position, a push rod 56 mounted on the casing Apheld in elevated position by means of a spring 57 is forced downwardly by hand, thereby Acausing its fingers or forked ends 58 inside the casing A to engage and depress the switch arms 50 and 51 from their dotted line positions to their full line positions and at the same time causing the rock shafts to rock and the arms 45 and 46 to swing so as to rengage the free ends 42 of the spring members 38 and 39 thereby locking the switch arms 50 and 51 in their full line position until they are again released by the clock mechanism. `When the switch mechanism is not required for use, it is only necessary to omit to depress the push rod 56 whereupon the circuit will remain open at vthe contacts 51 and 54.

In the modification Figs. 4 to 7, the mechanism is the same as heretofore described eX- cept that a Arock shaft 60 corresponding to the rock shafts 43 and 44 is centrally divided and insulated and `1ncased in a jacket 61 of insulating material which jacket is journaled relative to the frame B in brackets 62 and 63. A stop member 64 corresponding to the stop member 45 is insulated from the frame B and from the Vterminal 65 of the circuit'66, and its free end rests initially upon the free end 67 of the spring arm 38 thereby holding the i arm 68 out of contact with the free end of the spring arm 39. The irst step is to release the free end of spring 38'- from the end of arm 64, whereupon the rock shaft 61 rocks one step causing the free end of the arm 68 which is in electrical contact with the terminal 65 to contact with the free end of'spri'ng f arm 39 thereby completing the circuit through the frame B and terminal 69. The

next step results in the movement of thel spring arm 39 todisengage the end thereof from the end of the arm 68, whereupon-the rock shaft 61 rocks another step and comes to rest in the position Fig. 7 with the circuit open. The initial step is represented in Fig. 5 and the second step, in which the circuit is closed is represented in Figs. 4 and 61 The knurled head 7 0 enables the rock shaft 61 to be manually rocked to reset the mechanism for another cycle of operation.

- In Fig. 1 I have illustrated a contact 75 carried by the hour hand 18, which is adapted to make contact with aninsulated terminal 77 in the branch circuit 78 for a short vperiod of time once at each revolution of the tion Fig. 7 to the position Fig. 5, ready for another 'cycle of movement. Where such automatic resetting mechanism is employed,

the hour handA is preferably arranged to make one revolution in twenty four hours,

or other provision is made to avoid closing the 'circuit 78 more than once in twenty four 13.0

hours, although such is not absolutely necessary.

In the modification Fig. 8 it is designed that the rock shaft 61 will be actuated by hand and setto substantially the position illustrated in Figs. 6 and 8 in which position the circuit is closed. Then after a predetermined period of time has elapsed, the member 39 will be disengaged by the clock mechanism from the member 68', substantially as heretofore described, and the circuit will thereby be opened and remain open until again closed by hand.

In the modification Fig. 9, it is designed that the rock-shat 61 Vwill be actuated by hand and set to substantially the position shown in Figs. 5 and 9 with the circuit open, and after a pre-determined period of time the clock will release the member 64 Jfrom the member 82, corresponding to the member 38 of Fig. 5, and thereby allow member 83, corresponding to 39^ of Figs. 4 an'd 6, to

make electrical contact with member 84, corresponding with member 68 of Fig. 4., to automatically close the circuit.

The apparatus herein illustrated and described is capable o considerable modification Without departing from the principle of my invention.

What VI claim is:

l. A time controlled switch comprising a i rotatably mounted releasing member, an

electrical switch arm actuated by said rotatably mounted releasing member to open or close an electrical circuit, a clock mechanism,va resiliently actuated cam member driven rotatably by said clock mechanism to release said rotatably mounted releasing member, and a setting spindle having a cam engaging and restraining head, said spindle being rotatably adjustable-to predetermine the period of release of said cam and rotatably mounted releasing member.

2. A time controlled switch comprising a rotatably mounted releasing member, an

velectrical switch arm actuated by said rotatably mounted releasing member to open and close an electrical circuit, a clock mechanism, a resiliently actuated cam member driven rotatably by said clock mechanism to release said rotatably mounted releasing member, a setting spindle having a cam engaging and restraining head, said spindle being rotatably adjustable't'o predetermine the period of release of said cam and rotatably mounted releasing member, and means to manually rotate said rotatably mounted releasing member to rengage said rotatably mounted releasing memberY with said cam member.

3. A time controlled switch comprising a plurality of rotatable mounted releasing me bers to respectively initiate the closing and opening of an electrical circuit, an electrical circuit, means actuated by said rotatably mounted releasing members to close said electrical circuit and to subsequently open said electrical circuit at predetermined periods, a clock mechanism, a plurality of resiliently actuated cam members driv'en rotatably by said clock mechanism to respectively release said rotatably mounted releasing members, and a plurality of setting spindles each provided with a cam restraining head to engage one of said cams, said spindles being independently rotatably adjustable to predetermine theperiod of release of said respective cam members.

4. A time controlled switch comprising a plurality of rotatably mounted releasing members to respectively initiate the closing and openin of an electrical circuit, an electrical circuit, means actuated by said rotatably mounted releasing members to close said electrical circuit and to subsequently open said electrical circuit at predetermined periods, a clock mechanism, 'a plurality of tively release said rotatably mounted releasing members, a plurality of setting spindles each provided with a vcam restraining head to engage one of said cams, said spindles being independently rotatably adjustable to predetermine the period of release oi said respective cam members, and means to maning members to rengage said rotatably mounted releasing members with said cam members.

5. A time controlled switch comprismg a rotatably mounted releasing member, an electrical switch arm actuated .by saidV rotatably mounted releasing member to open and close an electrical circuit, a clock mechanism, a resiliently actuated cam member driven rotatably by said clock mechanism to release said rotatably mounted releasing member, a setting -spindle having a cam engaging and restraining head, said spindle being rotatably adjustable to predetermine the period of release of said cam and rotatably mounted releasing member, and means automatically controlled by said clock mechanism to rotate said'rotatably mounted releasing member to rengage said rotatably mounted releasing member with said cam member.

6. A time controlled switch comprising an electrical switch, a clock mechanism, means actuated at predetermined periods of time ,by said clock to successively close and open signature. Y

MILLARD F. ROEBLING.

lually rotate said rotatably mounted releas- 

